By Jessica Davis, JTNews Correspondent
Using energetic brushstrokes, strong primary colors and titles like, “Grinding Down the Rail,” “Go with it, Dude!’” and “Digital Dig,” in the new art style he calls, “Dynaism,” 84-year-old Mercer Island resident Phil Flash hopes to capture the vibrant, active spirit of today’s dynamic times in his current exhibit at the Pogacha Restaurant in Bellevue.
“The painting technique I use involves laying down strong, powerful images of color forcefully and boldly, with rigor and confidence,” says Flash. “I try to inject myself into the paint.”
Flash creates the art in a crawl space under his home. The space is just big enough for him to stand in and throw paint around. He uses a water-based acrylic paint that he can experiment with in texture. The art pieces are painted on canvas and mounted in a simple black frame. They take a few days to dry.
“I’m not another Picasso, but you’ve got to start some place,” says Flash. “Somebody’s got to create something new. Somebody’s got to create something different.”
Flash’s interest in art began early on. As a child, he found himself making pencil drawings of boats. This eventually led him to take art classes in high school and at the University of Washington.
During World War II, Flash began a career building seaplane tender ships at the Harbor Island shipyards. He was trained in electrical engineering by the U.S. Navy and in 1946 began working for The Boeing Co. as an ergonomic engineer in the industrial design department. After retiring from Boeing in 1988, Flash took a stronger focus on his art, doing mostly landscapes and illustrative paintings of local areas like La Conner. He served as president of both the Northwest Watercolor Society and the Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters.
Flash’s paintings have been shown at the Seattle Art Museum’s Northwest Annual Show, the Frye Art Museum and the Bellevue Art Museum. His work is also included in numerous public and private collections, such as the Seattle Public Library and the Kline Galland Home.
“[Art is] the kind of thing you’re always thinking of other things you can do,” he says. “You can’t stay still. You’ve got to keep moving.”
Much like his art, Flash is also very energetic. In addition to painting, he attends Temple De Hirsch Sinai, volunteers at Kline Galland every Wednesday and is the founding member and co-president of the Mercer Island Historical Society. He also regularly attends the Mercer Island city council meetings.
To encourage young artists to express themselves visually, a portion of the proceeds of Flash’s show will be donated to the Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painter’s Memorial Scholarship Fund.